Bottle transporting and filling mechanism



March 10, 1959 ENGLESON ET AL 2,876,604

. BOTTLE TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Filed June 19, 1956 '7 Sheets-Sheet HA Y .ENGLESON EL R MrM ATT'YS March 10, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ETAL 2,875,604

BOTTLE TRANS'PORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Filed June 19, 1956 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3

"MN R0 K NE E ML M VG A N R E S F 0 YR R E R Am H E Y B 2,876,604 BOTTLE TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Filed June-19, 1956 March 10, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ETAL '7 Sheets-Sheet 3' INVENTORS: N G LESO N RAMEK A'r'r' Ys 10, 1959 H. E. ENGLESON ET AL 2,876,04

BOTTLE TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Filed June 19, 1956 '7 Sheets--Sheet'4 I v 23 FIG. 7 24 O 0 D i !2 I l5 l3 INVENTORS:

- HARRY E. ENGLESON BY ELMER D. SRAMEK ATT'YS r ,1959 H.E.ENGLESON ET AL 2,876,604 I BOTTLE TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Filed June 19, 1956 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.9

IN VEN TORIS:

March 10, 1959 H. E. ENGLES'ON ET AL I 2,876,604

BOTTLE .TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM INVENTORS: HARRY E. ENGLESON By ELMER D. SRAMEK ATT'YS BOTTLE TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Filed June l9, 1956 H. E. ENGLESON ET AL March 1Q, 1959 '7 Sheets-Sheet '7 INVENTORS. HARRY E; ENGLESON BY 4 ELMER D. SRAMEK United States Patent BOTTLE TRANSPORTING AND FILLING MECHANISM Harry E. Engleson, Chicago, and Elmer D. Sramek, Cicero, 111., assignors to F. B. Redington Co., Bellwood Village, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application June 19, 1956, Serial No. 592,293

Claims. (Cl. 53-244) This invention relates to packaging machinery and, more particularly, to such machinery for filling. bottles or other containers with uniformly shaped articles, such as medicinal tablets or pills.

This invention consists generally of a new and improved mechanical means for arranging bottles, or other containers, on a conveyer and for transporting them in spaced relation with a plurality of tablet transfer wheels, each wheel being especially adapted to receive one or more tablets from an inclined chute and directing the tablets into the containers on the conveyer. The machine may be adapted to fill bottles of any of several selected sizes, since the conveyer will hold securely the bottles or containers of various sizes. The transfer wheels may be interchangeable to pass a selected number of tablets from each chute to the containers. The said wheels may be supported on a superstructure of the machine which can be secured in any of several selected pivotal adjustable positions, wherein the transfer wheels will be positioned in a selected spaced relationship with the conveyer. The arrangement is such that various elements of the machine may be adjusted to conform to the requirements of any of several difierent sized bottles which are to be filled.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved conveyer arrangement wherein bottles or other containers are moved by a plurality of transport members spaced successively along the chain and arranged such that each transport member has an arm for pushing the bottle forwardly and a finger extending rearwardly to secure another bottle to the next succeeding transport member.

Another object of this invention is to provide a conveyer which moves circularly around pivotal ends or.

sprockets and moves linearly between the sprockets. At each pivotal end, transverse elements of the conveyer will extend radially from the sprocket and provide wide spacings therebetween for the insertion and removal of bottles or other containers, and the elements will impinge upon the bottles securely holding them as the conveyer straightens and moves linearly between the sprockets.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wheel for transferring tablets from a chute and for directing the tablets into bottles on the conveyer. The wheel may have a generally circular periphery but with notches positioned thereon-each notch may have a hooked trailing side to engage and hold a tablet and to carry the tablet upwardly and over the wheel, thence permitting the tablet to drop into a bottle.

A further object of this invention is to provide the container filling machine with a removable and interchangeable sub-assembly having a plurality of transfer wheels, each of the wheels having one or more tablet engaging notches such that a predetermined number of tablets will be directed into a bottle on the conveyer from each wheel, and the total number of tablets directed into each bottle is determined by the total number of operative wheels and tablet transfer notches thereon.

Another object is to provide an improved unitary machine for directing tablets into containers of any of several ice selected sizes. The machine may have a superstructure holding interchangeable transfer wheels for directing tablets into the bottles, and the superstructure may be pivotal and may be provided with means for positioning the transfer wheels in any of several selected spaced relationships with the conveyer, thereby to fill bottles of a selected size.

A more complete understandingof the present invention, its mode of operation and its advantages, may be gathered from further reading of this specification, together with an inspection of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a particular machine for filling bottles with medicinal tablets according to the broad teachings of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section along the plane 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section along the inclined plane 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section along the plane 4-4 of Fig. 1 and illustrates particularly the mode of operation of a transfer wheel for passing tablets from an inclined chute to a bottle onthe conveyer;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, wherein certain parts have been removed and wherein an alternate type of transfer wheel is illustrated;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating another alternate type of transfer wheel;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section along the plane 77 of Fig. 1 and with parts of the structure broken away to illustrate further underlying parts;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view looking along the plane 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged elevational view looking along the plane 99 of Fig. 1 and with certain parts broken away to illustrate the underlying structure;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view along the plane 10-10 of Fig. 9 wherein only particular parts cons tituting a drive linkage for the transfer Wheels are illustrated;

Fig. 11 is an exploded view with parts shown in perspective of a portion of the transfer mechanism illustrating a transfer wheel, a chute for passing tablets thereto, and a rail and guide arrangement for retaining the tablets on the transfer wheel and directing the tablets downwardly therefrom;

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section along the plane 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a member for frictionally engaging and retarding a tablet expelled from the transfer wheels;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing only the pertinent parts of the driving arrangement for the conveyer, the transfer wheels and associated mechanisms;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view illustrating only the pertinent .parts for driving the tablet feeding mechanism of this machine;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view looking downwardly at the rails forming the troughs of the tablet feeding mechamsm;

Fig. 17 is an exploded view of one of the conveyer transport members of this invention with the individual parts thereof illustrated in perspective;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged perspective view along the plane 1818 of Fig. 1 and showing only the conveyer chain and the transport members thereon; and

Fig. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary part of Fig. 1 and illustrating the spreading action of the transverse elements as they move circularly at an end of the conveyer.

The machine described in this specification and illustrated in thedrawings comprises generally a hopper 1 'for holding tablets which may be heaped randomly therein, a plurality of chutes 2 for conducting the tablets downwardly at an incline from the hopper, a conveyer 3 for transporting bottles or other containers 4, and a tablet transfer mechanism 5 including a plurality of transfer wheels 6 for receiving tablets from the chutes 2 and directing them into the bottles 4 on the conveyer 3.

The tablets 7 are placed initially in the hopper 1 and are sifted between pairs of rails 8 into troughs 9 formed therebetween. As shown in Fig. 2, the troughs 9 are inclined in a position over a belt 10 which moves upwardly therealong. The rails 8, troughs 9, and the belt 10 constitute a bottom of the hopper 1 and function to receive tablets which are randomly heaped in the hopper and to direct the tablets into the inclined chutes 2, Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. illustrates the driving arrangement for the tablet feed mechanism associated with the hopper. The belt 10 is driven from a drive shaft 11 by a drive means including a pair of sprockets 12 and. 13, a chain 14 trained therearound and held by an idler sprocket 1S and further including a pair of spur gears 16 and 17. The drive shaft 11 is rotated by a gear motor 18 coupled thereto by gears 19 and 20. Two pairs of cams 21 and 22 are rotated by the drive shaft 11; which cams engage and rock respective pairs of rock arms 23 and 24, Fig. 15. The rock arms 23 and 24 are thus oscillated oppositely, Figs. 2 and 16, and are each coupled respectively to alternate rails 8 by means of a rigid connection to the respective transverse members 25 and 26. The rocking motion of the alternate oscillation of the rails 8 sift the tablets 7 into the troughs 9 therebetween. The tablets 7 are thence passed into the inclined chutes 2 on edge and in single file and will move downwardly along the chutes 2 to the transfer mechanism.

Operation of the transfer mechanism including the transfer wheels is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 11. The tablets 7 move down the inclined chutes 2 in single file on edge and one after the other until the foremost tablet 7 contacts the peripheral surface 27 of the transfer wheel 6. The peripheral surface 27, as shown in Fig. ll, is generally circular but having one or more hooked notches 28 therein. The hooked notch 28 has a leading side 29 (with respect to the rotation of the transfer wheel) which is curved to permit a tablet 7 to enter the notch from the chute 2 as the wheel 6 rotates. The trailing side 30 of the notch 28 is circular with substantially the same curvature as the tablets 7. The notch 28 generally forms a hook to entrap a single tablet from the trough 7, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The transfer wheel rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 11 and, therefore, the tablet entrapped in the notch 28 will move upwardly over the top of the wheel and thence downwardly to be expeleld from the transfer wheel at an exit point 33 which is substantially 180 degrees of rotation from the point at which the tablet 7 was admitted into the notch from the chute 2. Once a tablet 7 has been admitted into the notch 28 and has been carried upwardly from the chute 2, a circular guide rail 31, encircling the periphery of the transfer wheel, will retain the tablet within the notch 28 until the tablet and the notch have reached their uppermost point on the wheel and thence a second ciri for each one-half revolution.

cular guide rail 32 closes over the notch 28 and convtinues to retain the tablet therein. As the notch 28 on the transfer wheel continues to move downwardly to the exit point 33, the circular rail 32 is terminated and the centrifugal force tends to throw the tablet 7 outwardly from the notch 28.

As maybe seen in Fig. 11, a vertical passage or guide- .way 34 is positioned to receive the tablets 7 from the transfer wheel 6 and to direct the tablets downwardly into the bottles 4 on the conveyer 3, Figs. 4, S and 6. Since the tablets, when thrown off from the transfer wheel 6, may have considerable velocity and may not be properly timed with the movement of the bottles 4 passing thereunder, it is desirable that it be decelerated before being expelled from the passage 34. A retarder 35 is pivotally mounted to protrude outwardly from a slot 36 into the tablet passage 34. As shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, the retarder 35 is mounted to pivot on a pin 37 and is urged outwardly to partially obstruct the passageway by a compression spring 38. As a tablet moves through the passageway 34, the retarder 35 is pivoted into the slot 36 compressing the spring 38. The tablet thence passes in frictional engagement with a surface 39 of the retarder 35 and is thereby decelerated such that it emerges from the passage 34 with decreased velocity and is timed such as to be received by the bottle 4.

As shown in Fig. 1, a bottle 4 is placed on the conveyer 3 at the left side thereof and thence passes beneath the bottle filling mechanisms 5 which may include fifty chutes and, correspondingly, fifty separate transfer wheels. Each trans-fer wheel 6 may direct one, two or more tablets into each bottle as the bottle moves along the conveyer beneath the transfer mechanisms 5. Fig. 5 illustrates one such transfer wheel which is adapted to direct a single tablet 7 into the bottle 4. The transfer wheel 6 of Fig. 5 is synchronized with the conveyer such that it makes one-half revolution as each bottle 4 passes thereunder. As may be seen in Fig. 5, the transfer wheel 6 includes two diametrically opposite notches 28 and, therefore, the wheel 6 will transfer one tablet The transfer wheel illustrated in Fig. 4 includes four notches 28 spaced equally about the circumference thereof. Thus, as a bottle 4 passes beneath the transfer wheel 6 of Fig. 4, that wheel making one-half revolution will transfer two tablets to the bottle. The transfer wheel 6 shown in Fig. 6 contains eight notches 28 and, therefore, four tablets will be directed to the bottle 4 with each one-half revolution of the wheel.

The bottles moving along the conveyer 3 will receive a predetermined number of tablets from each operative transfer wheel. In order that the machine be more flexible and adapted for any size bottle, it is possible to disable any selected number of the transfer mechanisms 5. Thus, if it were desired to fill a bottle with but thirty tablets, the first twenty of the chutes 2 and transfer mechanisms 5 may be disabled by means such as blocking off the first twenty troughs in the hopper 1, and the remaining thirty chutes may be arranged with transfer wheels to direct one tablet from each chute as each bottle passes thereunder. Thus, with twenty chutes disabled and thirty chutes operative, each bottle will receive thirty tablets as it moves past all of the transfer mechanisms 5. Thus, it will be appreciated that the machine illustrated in Fig.1 may fill bottles with any predetermined number of tablets up to a maximum capacity of two hundred tablets per bottle.

The transfer mechanism 5 is so constructed that one set of transfer wheels may be easily removed and replaced by another set of transfer wheels. The circular guide rails 31 and 32 may be of unitary construction together with a fiat plate or partial disk 40, Fig. 11. A support member 41 extends transversely with the plurality of circular guide rails and plates 40 (longitudinally with the conveyer), and each circular guide rail member 31, 32, 40, may be attached to the transverse support 41 by means such as a machine screw 42. The support member 41 is pivotal about a point 43, Figs. 4 and 6, and an upwardly extending arm or handle 44 is attached thereto. By movement of the handle 44, the support plate 41 is pivoted and the circular guide rail and disk member 31, 32,- 40, may thus be removed from their normal position over the transfer disks 6, as is indicated by the dashed lines at 45, Fig. 4. Each transfer wheel is fixed to and rotatable with a shaft 46; and such shaft with the transassembly.

Fig. illustrates the driving means for rotating the shaft 46. A train of gears 47 transfers power from a stub shaft 48 and pinion gear 49 to a short shaft 50 which, in turn, rotates a disk 51 having a crank pin 52 thereon. A coupling disk 53 has a slot 54 for engagement with the crank pin 52 and is drivingly attached to shaft 46 and constitutes a part of the removable transfer wheel assembly. Thus, it is apparent that the shaft 46 and removable transfer wheel assembly or mechanism 5 is driven from a permanently mounted shaft 50 by means of the coupling disks 51 and 53 which may be readily disassembled. Therefore, in adapting the machine for filling bottles of various sizes, one transfer wheel assembly may be easily removed and replaced by another such as sembly. Since the different assemblies comprise wheels 6 adapted to transfer different numbers or quantities of tablets from each chute 2 to the bottles 4 of the conveyer 1, an interchange of assemblies adapts the machine for filling bottles with different quantities of tablets.

To properly fill the transported bottles 4 with tablets 7, the transfer mechanism 5, which includes the tablet passages 34, must be positioned in spaced relation over the conveyer such that the mouth of the tablet passage 34 closely overlays the mouth of a bottle 4 pasing thereunder.

Since the machine is adaptable for various size bottles, the positioning of the transfer mechanism 5 must be adjustable. The machine of this invention consists generally of a base 55 and a superstructure 56 which is mounted to pivot about a point 57 on the base 55, Fig. 7. The conveyer 3 is operatively mounted on the base structure 55, and the transfer mechanism 5 is mounted on the superstructure 56. Thus, the pivotal position of the superstructure 56 with respect to the base 55 will determine the height or spaced relationship of the transfer mechanism 5 with respect to the conveyer 3.

This spaced relationship is determined by the positioning of a bracket 58 upon which rests a circular supporting foot 59, Figs. 7 and 8. The bracket 58 is attached to the base structure 55 by means such as a bolt 60 extending through a slotted hole 61. Thus, the bracket 58 is a multi-positioned bracket and may be set such that the circular foot part 59 of the superstructure 56 may rest on any one of the several steps 62, 63 and 64. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the foot part 59 of the superstructure 56 rests upon the uppermost step 62 of the multi-positioned bracket 58 and in this position the machine, is adapted to fill a large size bottle 4. If the position of the bracket 58 were changed, the transfer mechanism 5 could be lowered for filling smaller bottles such as the bottle 4 indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 7.

The adjustable supporting means connected between the base 55 and the superstructure 56 includes the multipositioned bracket 58 in cooperation with the foot 59 and further includes a tightening or clamping means which may be another bracket 65 attached to the base structure 55 and having means such as a nut and bolt 66 extending through the bracket 65 and through a slotted opening 67 in the superstructure 56. The adjustable supporting means also includes a jack-screw 68 coupled betweena bracket 69 on the superstructure 56 and a hand wheel adjusting device 70 and an underlying part 71 which is associated with the base 55. To change the height adjustment or spaced relationship between the transfer mechanism and the conveyer 3, the nut and bolt 66 is first loosened, the superstructure S6 is raised by means of the hand wheel 70 and jack-screws 68, the positioning of the multi-positioned bracket 58 is changed, the jackscrew is thence lowered to permit the foot 59 to rest on the new position of the multi-positioned bracket 58 and,

. finally, the nut and bolt 66 is tightened to clamp the superstructure 56 in the new position.

i The conveyer 3 comprises generally a pair of sprockets 72 and 73 about which a conveyer chain 74 is trained, Figs. 1, 14 and 18. A plurality of transport members 75 are spacedalong the chain 74 for engaging and moving 6 the bottles. Figs. 17 and 18 illustrate the construction and positioning of the transport members 75 which include a body part 76 and a horizontally extending arm 77 integral wtih thebody part. As shown in Fig. 18, the body part 76 of the transport members 75 is attached to the chain 74, and the arms 77 extend transversely from the chain. Fig. 19 indicates the manner in which a bottle or container 4 may be engaged by the arm 77 and thereby be conveyed or transported. A finger part 78 is pivotally mounted to the transport member 75 within the body 76 thereof. The body 76 includes opposed spaced top and bottom parts 79, Fig. 17, between which a pivotal part 80 formed integral with the finger 78 may be positioned. A pin 81 may be inserted through holes in the body 76 and through the pivotal part of the fingers 78, thereby pivotally securing the finger 78 to the transport member 75. The pin may be secured in place by means such as a pair of cotter keys 82.

A compression spring 83 is seated in appropriate holes or depressions 84 and 85 in the finger member 78 and the body part 76, respectively. The compression spring is thus positioned between the finger 78 and the body part 76 to provide a means for urging the finger 78 rearwardly with respect to the motion of the conveyer 3. The finger member 78, 80 includes a stop 86, Fig. 17, which is positioned to engage a stop or shoulder 87 on the body part of the transport member. The stops 86 and 87 constitute cooperating means for limiting the rearward excursion or movement of the finger 78 with respect to the body 76 and arm 77 of the transport member. As shown in Fig. 19, each adjacent pair of transport members 75 provides a pocket for transporting a container 4 wherein the arm 77 of a second of the pair of transport members 75 engages and moves the containers 4 while the finger 78 of the first of the pair of transport members resiliently engages the foremost side of the containers 4 and secures it against the arm 77 of thesucceeding transport member. Each arm 77 is provided with an elongated opening or cutout 88 into which the fingers 78 may pivot, Figs. 17 and 18.

Fig. 19 illustrates the manner in which a bottle 4 is clamped between a pair of transport members as it moves linearly with the conveyer chain 74 and further illustrates the releasing action of the fingers 78 as the transport members thence move in a circular path as the chain 74 goes around a sprocket 72 or 73. Thus, as the transport members move circularly around the ends or sprockets of the conveyer 3, the arms 77 and fingers 78 of each adajcent pair of transport members will spread apart for receiving or releasing a bottle 4. As the transport members 75 move linearly with the conveyer chain 74 between the two sprockets 72 and 73, the arms 77 of each adjacent pair of transport memebrs close together and the finger 78 of one transport member clamps a bottle securely against the arm 77 of the next succeeding transport member.

In the machine, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the bottles 4 move from the left side between a pronged wheel 89 and a star wheel 90. The wheel 89 having outwardly extending prongs thereon moves synchronously with the star wheel 90 and with the conveyer 3 and thereby constitutes a means for placing successive bottles 4 into the conveyer 3 between each adjacent pair of transport members 75. At the entrance point 91 where the bottles are loaded or placed in the conveyer 3, the transport members are moving circularly, and therefore the arms 77 and fingers 78 of each adjacent pair of transport members are spread apart to receive a bottle.

Similarly, the sprocket 73 provides a convenient exit point 92 wherein the arms and fingers of the conveyer 3 are again spread apart to permit removal of the bottles 4. The bottle removing means consists generally of a pair of gears 93 and 94 which will rotate in the same direction and synchronously with an intermediate gear 95 mutually engaged therebetween. The synchronously rotating gears 93 and 94 each carry crank pins 96 and 97 upon which is mounted a parallel moving member 98. An arm 99 is rigidly attached to the parallel moving member 98 and, therefore, likewise moves with a parallel circular motion as dictated by the synchronous movement of the two crank pins 96 and 97. A further arm 100 is attached to the arm 99 and carries a bottle intercepting means 101 for transferring the bottles 4 from the exit point 92 of the conveyer 3 and moving them generally to the right, Fig. 1, as shown by a direction arrow 102.

The driving arrangement for the conveyer 3, the tablet transfer mechanism 5, the bottle insertion means 89, 90, and the parallel arm bottle transfer means 92, are best illustrated by Fig. 14. A motor 103 is drivingly coupled to a drive shaft 104 by a belt 105 trained about a pair of pulleys 166 and 107, a stub shaft 108, and a pair of spur gears 1&9 and 110. The drive shaft 104 is drivingly coupled by a gear train 111 to a vertical shaft 112. The vertical shaft 112 constitutes the rotatable mounting for the sprocket wheel 89. A train of gears 113 drivingly couple a vertical shaft 114 to the shaft 112, and the star wheel 90 is turned thereby. A vertical shaft 115 is drivingly coupled to the drive shaft 104 by a pair of bevel gears 116, a short shaft 117 and a second pair of bevel gears 118. The conveyer 3 is driven by the sprocket 73 which is drivingly coupled to the shaft 115 through a train of gears 119. The vertical shaft 115 supports and drives the gear 93 which, in turn, drives the gears 95 and 94 for operation of the parallel transfer mechanism at the exit point 92 of the conveyer. A gear 120 meshed with the spur bevel gear 94 drives a bevel gear 121 which, in turn, drives the bevel gear 49. As was previously described in connection with Fig. 10, the train of gears 47 rotate a shaft 50 to which is coupled the removable transfer assemblies constituting the transfer mechanism 5. Since the conveyer 3, the tablet transfer mechanism 5, the bottle insertion means 89, 90, and the parallel arm bottle transfer means 92 are all driven by gear means from the single drive shaft 104, it is therefore obvious that these various components of the machine will operate synchronously one with another.

, The conveyer 3 comprises generally the transport members 75 which are attached to the chain 74, and further includes guide rails positioned to support and guide the containers 4 as they are pushed along by the transport ,arms 77. Figs 4, 6 and 9 illustrate generally the guide members along which the bottles 4 slide. A pair of rails 122 is positioned on one side of the bottles and another rail 123 is positioned on the opposite side thereof. The bottles 4 are supported by a bottom rail 124. A pan or collecting member 125 is positioned along one side of the path of the bottles 4 for catching debris resulting from possible breakage of the bottles 4 or loose tablets which may be improperly directed and fail to be received into the bottles. The pan 125 will therefore tend to keep an aisle area adjacent to the machine reasonably clean and free from such debris.

It has been found from actual usage of the machine of this invention that the tablets 7 received in a bottle 4 tend to unduly stack one above the other without properly settling within the bottle 4, and therefore a bottle which has been designed to hold a predetermined number of tablets may be apparently filled to overflowing by that number of tablets which are not properly settled or packed within the bottle. A vibrator mechanism (not shown) may be attached to the bottom rail 124 to cause the rail to vibrate upwardly and downwardly, which vibration will be transferred to the bottle 4 thereby agitating the tablets 7 therein and causing them to properly settle and to more efficiently occupy the space within the bottle which has been so designed for this predetermined number of tablets. As shown in Fig. 9, a brush 125 may be positioned longitudinally of the conveyer and along one side thereof such that the bristles impinge upon the bottles 4 for resil- 8 iently holding the bottles and preventing undue motion thereof under the influence of the vibrating support rail 124.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A machine for filling bottles with tablets, said machine comprising a base, a conveyer operatively associated with the base for moving bottles therealong, a superstructure pivotally mounted on the base, a plurality of transfer wheels mounted on the superstructure for passing the tablets into the bottles moving along the conveyer, a multi-position bracket on the base, a bracket engageable part on the superstructure for resting the superstructure in a selected position on the bracket, a clamp means having cooperating parts on the base and on the superstructure for securing the superstructure in the selected position, and a jack-screw for raising the superstructure and disengaging the bracket from the engageable part of the superstructure to permit changing of the bracket positioning for selectively spacing the transfer wheels to accommodate a selected size of bottles to be filled.

2. A tablet transfer mechanism for filling bottles transported along a movable conveyer, said mechanism comprising a plurality of inclined chutes each dimensioned to pass tablets in single file and on edge, a transversely extending shaft rotatably mounted adjacent the discharge end of said chutes, a plurality of disc shaped transfer wheels mounted in parallel spaced relation along said shaft, each wheel registering with a respective chute, drive means removably connected to said shaft for rotating the shaft mounting the transfer wheels synchronously with the movement of the conveyer, each of said transfer Wheels having a peripheral surface with a predetermined number of hooked notches therein for receiving tablets from a respective chute associated with the transfer wheel, a shield member operatively associated with each transfer wheel, each of said shield members having a circular rail for holding the tablets within the hooked slots, and a tablet discharge member associated with each transfer wheel, the said tablet discharge member having a tablet passageway positioned to receive tablets from the transfer wheel and to direct the tablets downwardly and into the bottles transported along the conveyer.

3. A tablet transfer mechanism according to claim 2 wherein a retarder member is mounted in each tablet discharge member and is operatively associated with the passageway therein, said retarder member extending into the tablet passageway and operable to frictionally engage and decelerate each tablet that passes through the passageway.

4. A tablet transfer mechanism according to claim 2 wherein the passageway in each tablet discharge member is formed with a longitudinally extending slot and wherein a tablet retarder member is pivotally mounted to extend into the slot, said retarder member being urged outwardly of the slot by a spring means and having a surface positioned for frictional engagement with the tablets as said tablets move through the passageway.

5. A tablet transfer mechanism adaptable for filling bottles of various selected sizes which may be transported along a conveyer, said mechanism comprising a plurality of inclined chutes each dimensioned to pass tablets in single tile and on edge, a transversely extending shaft rocnlar and provided with a predetermined number of hooked notches therein, each transfer wheel being operatively associated with a chute and for receiving the tablets for the chute and for directing the tablets into the bottles being transported along the conveyer, a plurality of shield members, each shield member having a circular rail for holding tablets within the hooked notches of a respective transfer wheel, a pivotal member supportingly attached to all of the shield members whereby the shield members may be pivoted away from the transfer wheels to permit removal of the shaft and the transfer wheels, and drive means for rotating the shaft and the transfer wheels in synchronism with the movement of the conveyer, a disengag'eable coupling between the drive means and said shaft, said shaft being removably supported over the conveyer and said drive means being disengageable from the shaft whereby the shaft and the transfer wheels constilute a removable subassembly in the transfer mechanism.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 937,152 Kallenbach Oct. 19, 1909 2,353,806 Blay et al. July 18, 1944 2,404,460 Rolker July 23, 1946 2,443,293 Bergstein et al. June 15, 1948 2,507,883 Blackman May 16, 1950 2,509,069 Mar'achek May 23, 1950 2,647,670 Cox Aug. 4, 1953 7 2,679,342 Fradenburgh May 25, 1954 

